The present disclosure relates to tandem image forming apparatuses.
Typically known tandem image forming apparatuses include a plurality of image forming units arranged along an endless intermediate transfer belt that circulates. Each image forming unit included in such a tandem image forming apparatus includes, around a drum-shaped image bearing member (a photosensitive member) thereof, a charger, a development section, a primary transfer section, a static eliminating section, and a cleaning section. The image forming units form images (toner images) in different colors on a surface of the intermediate transfer belt in succession in a layered manner.
Hereinafter, a direction in which the intermediate transfer belt circulates in a direction where the image forming units are arranged in a tandem image forming apparatus will be referred to as a belt circulating direction.
The tandem image forming apparatus is capable of switching a mode of the image forming units between a multicolor mode and a monochrome color mode. In the multicolor mode, all of the image forming units are operated. In the monochrome color mode, only an image forming unit located the furthest downstream in terms of a belt circulation direction is operated.
It is also known in the tandem image forming apparatus that the static eliminating section of each of the image forming units has functions to irradiate post-transfer static eliminating light and to irradiate pre-transfer static eliminating light.
The post-transfer static eliminating light is static eliminating light with which a part of the image bearing member that has been subjected to image transfer is irradiated from between the transfer section and the cleaning section in each of the image forming units. By contrast, the pre-transfer static eliminating light is static eliminating light with which the image bearing member of an image forming unit located next downstream of a given image forming unit in terms of the belt circulating direction is irradiated from between the transfer section and the cleaning section of the given image forming unit.